Winning at Home: A first-class family

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By Dan Seaborn

Holland Sentinel

By Dan Seaborn

Posted Mar. 28, 2014 at 7:24 AM

By Dan Seaborn
Posted Mar. 28, 2014 at 7:24 AM

Holland, Mich.

I fly a lot on commercial airlines. Lately, most of my trips start early on a Thursday and donít end until late Sunday night. Iím pretty weary come Monday morning when many people are refreshed from their weekend rest. Jet lag is one of the reasons why I feel so tired after traveling.

It is a physiological condition that upsets the bodyís internal clock. When this is coupled with prolonged sitting in tight quarters, a person can get easily fatigued.

Recently when I was on a flight, I was approached by an attendant who asked me, ďSir, would you like to move up to first class?Ē Itís the first time thatís ever happened, and I can remember thinking that I was in the middle of a dream. But once I recognized that it was real, I replied that of course Iíd like to move to first class. Who wouldnít? A free hot meal, a hot cloth for your face, unlimited snacks and enough leg and arm room to really stretch out. I felt like royalty as I was escorted to the upper echelon of travel.

And as I was thinking about all of this, I wondered what the world would be like if we applied this same principle to family life. Does your family operate with a first-class or an economy-class mentality? If you have an economy-class mindset and I asked you if youíd like to move up to first class, you would most likely answer yes.

So what does that mean? First of all, it means that youíll have to pay a little higher price. First-class seats on an airplane are not free. They cost a little more. Family life is the same way. I donít mean financially; the costs incurred are more emotional and time-driven. It involves more effort and energy and giving of yourself. For you as a parent, it might mean less of you and more of your family. Practically speaking, that means you might exercise five days each week instead of seven. Instead of leaving the office at 7 p.m., you try to leave at 5 p.m. at least three days each week. Rather than turning on the TV as soon as you get home, try turning to the kids for company and entertainment.

Being a first-class family encourages special treatment of each other and others. It reminds me of a story I heard about a young man from Minnesota who was wrestling for a high school state championship. He lost and instead of storming off in defeat, he shook hands with his opponent and then went over to the opponentís dad and not only shook hands with him, but also gave him a hug. Why? Because he knew that his opponentís dad was dying of cancer and he just felt moved to show him some love. He had lost his own dad at the age of seven.

Page 2 of 2 - That was a first-class move from a young man who probably grew up in a first-class family.

Itís going beyond the ordinary and doing the exceptional. Itís pampering one another and giving each other space when needed. Itís really thinking of the other members of your family before thinking of yourself.

I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in first class on that flight. Although I canít justify spending the extra money for first class when I fly, I canít afford not to when it comes to my family.

ó Dan Seaborn is the founder of the Zeeland-based group Winning at Home Inc. Email questions or comments to hometeam@winningathome.com.